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Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Books Book Club of the Damned News

Posted by Paul Constant on Tue, Jan 6, 2009 at 3:18 PM

In yesterday's Book Club of the Damned post, I mocked Christian horror author Travis Thrasher for changing tenses seemingly without explanation in his Shining knock-off Isolation.

Thrasher wrote back in the comments thread:

So hey, Paul. I won't comment on your criticism—everybody has an opinion. But I did deliberately go from past to present tense in the book. I'm honored to be chosen and lambasted.

If Mr. Thrasher is reading this via Google Alert: Firstly, thanks for being a good sport. Secondly, please send me an e-mail. I'd like to find out why you changed tense, because I went back and re-read parts of Isolation last night after I read your comment, and even knowing that you did it on purpose, it still seems like a mistake.

In other Book Club of the Damned news:The lady behind Bookshelves of Doom is going to read 11 V.C. Andrews novels in 2009 as part of this challenge:

Cheers to you, BoD lady. You're a braver blogger than I.

Comments (9) RSS

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I loved VC Andrews when I was in middle school. Loved. Looking back, I wonder if my mom knew how much sex and weirdness there was in those books? At minimum, 30-year-old-me wishes she had said to 12-year-old-me, hey, here's something that you might actually be happy to have read, when you're, say, 30.

Posted by Julie in Chicago on January 6, 2009 at 3:30 PM

Do you have any reason to believe that comment was actually posted by the author and not just somebody messing with you?

Posted by Travis Thrasher on January 6, 2009 at 3:45 PM

Look, books get copy-edited nowadays. All of them. The copy editor has already been through the tense argument with the editor and the author; the author wins these arguments because it's about the art of it. So when you encounter things that seem "wrong" in a book, it's best to assume there is a reason and to look for it. It may not be the best reason, but there probably is an intentional thing going on 99% of the time.

Copy editors do make mistakes, too, obviously, but pervasive things like tense usage are not likely unintentional.

Posted by Simac on January 6, 2009 at 3:53 PM

You think that's bad, the hot girl I used to flirt with in high school is teaching Christian Religion classes just over in Redmond ....

Missed the bullet.

Posted by Will in Seattle on January 6, 2009 at 3:58 PM

Gee, Will, that's funny, because the hot girl I used to flirt with in high school -- wait, what the fuck?

VC Andrews is not good trash. Jackie Collins is good trash.

Posted by Fnarf on January 6, 2009 at 4:03 PM

I absolutely hate arbitrary authorial style choices that add nothing to the book. Which is why, actually, I quit writing my volunteer book reviews. I just couldn't keep reading crap and having to write about it without getting paid.

Posted by exelizabeth on January 6, 2009 at 4:47 PM

What, you don't like going from present tense to past tense, Fnarf?

I even went from past tense to present tense just to please you.

Book club of the Damned .... (sigh)

Posted by Will in Seattle on January 6, 2009 at 5:05 PM

@2: It's really so unexceptional a quote that I figure it's the real thing. Why impersonate the guy if you're going to be boring? Plus, I figure it's not unreasonable to assume that Travis Thrasher has a Google Alert. So if you type his name three times: Travis Thrasher! Travis Thrasher! Travis Thrasher! He will appear. Like Beetlejuice.

Posted by Paul Constant on January 6, 2009 at 5:36 PM

Hey Paul. I don't have a google alert but you typed my name three times. I just take longer than Beetlejuice. And yes, I agree--if I was going to impersonate someone, I'd pick someone far more interesting than Travis Thrasher (though I do love the name).

Really quickly--I've used every point of view in my fiction--first person, third person, even second person. Right or wrong, I've tried changing things up. Isolation was straightforward from three different perspectives (and yes, the demon possessed guy too). Most of it was third person past. But occasionally I changed to present tense. Simply to intensify the action. Even if the "rulebooks" (whatever that means) say to do one thing or another, why not try out different things? To me it worked, but it might be horribly wrong. I think I even threw an occasional second person in there as well (I don't know--the book was written a couple years ago).

Each story I write is an attempt to try out something. Yes, the premise was very similar to The Shining. But I could give you a page of how they're very different. The Shining is a classic--I'm still learning. Give Ghostwriter a chance--I know you will find it far less "preachy". (okay, enough rambling)

Posted by Travis Thrasher on January 16, 2009 at 8:25 PM